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The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has ordered criminal proceedings against those held responsible for a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad that killed newborn babies.<\/strong><\/p>\n The prime minister chaired a meeting on the incident after an interim report by an investigation committee was presented to him, according to an official statement.<\/p>\n The committee identified eight people for immediate suspension. Those suspended include PIMS Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar, Joint Executive Directors Dr Tahir Shah and Dr Owais Shah, and head of the neonatal department Professor Dr Saadia Riaz.<\/p>\n Senior registrars Dr Naghma and Dr Nousheela Amjad, PIMS Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman, and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rahman have also been suspended.<\/p>\n Shehbaz Sharif has also directed authorities to take action against those responsible under criminal law, saying there would be no leniency for anyone found guilty of criminal negligence.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people responsible for this incident will be brought to justice,\u201d the prime minister said, according to the statement.<\/p>\n He said the deaths of the innocent children were a \u2018tragic incident\u2019 that had left the entire nation grieving, and expressed his condolences to the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n He also ordered action against the security company deployed at the hospital and its officials.<\/p>\n The prime minister approved a recommendation to award the Sitara-e-Khidmat to the nurse who rescued a baby while risking her own life.<\/p>\n He also ordered that a nurse who was present in the ward and a female security guard be appointed as officers on special duty (OSDs) while further investigations are conducted.<\/p>\n Dr Muhammad Salman, chief executive officer of the National Institute of Health, was directed to take charge as acting executive director of PIMS.<\/p>\n Shehbaz Sharif instructed authorities to immediately appoint new officials to replace those removed from their posts.<\/p>\n He also ordered that the investigation committee\u2019s interim report be made public immediately. The government said the report would be uploaded to the Ministry of National Health Services\u2019 website shortly.<\/p>\n The prime minister directed the committee to complete its investigation and submit a more detailed final report.<\/p>\n On this occasion, t<\/strong>he meeting was shown CCTV footage covering the incident, which lasted about two minutes, the official statement said.<\/p>\n Officials told the meeting that PIMS had no detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or training specifically covering fires or other emergencies.<\/p>\n Of the hospital\u2019s 13 SOPs, only two subsections referred to fire or emergency situations, according to the briefing.<\/p>\n Supervisory staff were not present on duty when the fire broke out. Two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer were in the ward at the time.<\/p>\n The fire reportedly spread through and engulfed the entire ward in about two minutes.<\/p>\n One nurse managed to save a baby before the flames spread through the ward, risking her own life in the process.<\/p>\n The emergency services were called six minutes after the fire started, while the first emergency response arrived 15 minutes later, officials said.<\/p>\n The briefing also highlighted that a fire had occurred at the PIMS nursing hostel only a month earlier, in July, but that no serious steps had subsequently been taken to improve fire safety at the hospital.<\/p>\n There was no fire alarm or sprinkler system in the neonatal ward, while investigators found violations of the World Health Organization\u2019s relevant safety guidelines.<\/p>\n The hospital also had no dedicated officer responsible for dealing with fire and other emergencies. An assistant director had instead been given emergency responsibilities in addition to his regular duties.<\/p>\n Officials also briefed the meeting on the hospital\u2019s deteriorating condition and alleged administrative shortcomings.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to complete the investigation and the submission of a more detailed report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n